US nuns urge Presidential candidates to refrain from ‘dehumanising language’

More than 5,600 religious have signed a letter to all the Presidential candidates

More than 5,600 American women religious have signed a letter addressed to Presidential candidates, advising them that “we cannot let the voices of hatred and fear carry the day”.

The letter, written by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), will be sent on Monday, 8 August, to candidates of the Democratic, Republican, Green and Libertarian parties, their vice presidential running mates, and chairs of their respective parties.

The LCWR, based in Silver Spring, Washington, represents 80% of the estimated 57,000 women religious in the United States, with about 1,350 congregations. The letter’s 5,671 signatories are from ministries including education, health care, and other pastoral and social services.

“We simply ask that all who seek to lead refrain from language that disrespects, dehumanises or demonises another,” the letter said. “Unfortunately, we live in a time when our politics is too often marked by self-interest and demeaning rhetoric. We seem to be caught in a political system paralysed by ideological extremism and hyper-partisanship.”

“Those on all sides of the growing political divide too often appeal to our basest instincts and stoke the fires of fear that tear at the fabric of our nation.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Sister Joan Marie Steadman, a sister of St Joseph and LCWR’s executive director, said: “Unfortunately, it seems in this particular political season commitment to political discourse that preserves the dignity of the human person, and promotes the common good, is in short supply.

“This is why LCWR is calling for civility in our discourse and decency in our political interaction.”

The letter concludes: “We know that you offer yourself in service of the people of the United States at great cost to yourself and your family. We promise you our prayers in the weeks and months ahead.”